#dkoldies

[bro3256]

DKOldies is a scam (and here's why)

If you have been watching TikToks and YouTube Shorts recently then you certainly have stumbled upon DKOldies, they host an online store that exclusively sells used video games. The short videos they post are more or less advertisements for their business and on the surface there's nothing wrong about them, if anything the videos themselves can be entertaining. However as the popularity of DKOldies as grown, it's become more apparent that they are ripping buyers off and also contributing to the video game bubble we are in.

What do I mean by video game bubble? Well since 2019, prices for used video games have skyrocketed in value mainly due to demand from existing collectors but also investors swooping in and buying up games for the purpose of making a profit. As of me writing this post, the bubble has yet to pop but it'll certainly happen soon.

What does this have to do with DKOldies?

Simply put, they overprice the HELL out of their items. It's to the point where its even over the value you get on PriceCharting, but you might think that they're cutting you a deal since its half off right?

So those deals were never really deals to begin with, these items are released with these discounts in place and the Wayback Machine clearly shows that they've been doing this for years. This most certainly is false advertising which is illegal in many countries including where DKOldies operates.

But lets say you disregard the fake discounts and buy an NES bundle for... $250?!?

Well its advertised as being refurbished and you'd expect a pretty clean system especially since DKOldies regularly posts videos of them cleaning games and consoles. Unfortunately, you're not going to get a properly refurbished console as ReviewTechUSA recently put out a video of them unboxing this exact bundle.

Not only was the console still dirty but its partially cracked on the right side. The pins on both the cartridges and console were also not cleaned, which really begs the question if they're really taking the time to actually clean these games and consoles up, again this is clear false advertising.

They also tend to recommend pretty awful things for games, such as using those cheap AV to HDMI converter boxes to play your older consoles on a modern display. These boxes are not designed for video games at all and you'll certainly get a bad muddy picture on top of input lag. I would instead buy a proper upscaler that is designed for video games such as the various RetroTink upscalers. These add no lag and look amazing in comparison.

Now why do they recommend something this awful? Because they not only sell these individually on their site but is an option to be included in most bundles for an absurd markup.

It's even more baffling here since even if you were interested in picking this up, you can just go on Amazon and get one for cheaper.

To wrap things up, I want to mention that DKOldies does do online trade ins. Typically when you trade an item into a store, you'll typically get less than the current average value of the item which is how most local game stores deal with trade ins. DKOldies has a page listing their offers for trade ins and they are laughably low.

Several folks have even made videos talking about how ridiculous these offers are. DKOldies responded by hiding these prices and requiring that you email them to inquire about the price.

(Source: Retail King)

At the end of the day, DKOldies is a business and their focus is making as much money as possible. They've even made a video directly responding to the backlash they've been getting.

This video doesn't address any of the points many have made, if anything its propaganda. It's just a small business, a business that overprices the items they sell and is not transparent about their refurbishments. Unless DKOldies gets slapped with a lawsuit (which at this point is inevitable) then my only plea to those getting into used video games is to avoid DKOldies. If you can, buy from local game stores, go thrifting, and if all else fails eBay will absolutely cut you a better deal because everyone else beats DKOldies prices.

[gaykarstaagforever]

This guy was like the DKOldies of 1750 BC.

[monadoboy16]

I’m done with DKOldies

Okay, this is goanna be a very long essay, but it’s necessary to do so.  DKOldies has come under fire for selling overpriced “refurbished” consoles when they are filled with dust and debris.  As some big-name YouTubers like Jacob R called them out.  But, to add even more fuel to the fire, DKOldies has been blocking people for exposing their practices on Twitter and removing related comments on their Facebook and YouTube shorts.  As a result, I will no longer be using their store to buy any retro gaming items for any future VintageTech episodes about old game systems.

Now, will I be censoring any mention of DKOldies on my YouTube channel?  Well, yes and no.  I do have plans on censoring any warranty stickers in the  PSP episode of VintageTech, but, due to the length of episode 10, I will not be removing the shoutout to DKOldies. Now, the only things I bought from that site are DS games, Metalic Rose DS Lite (Cosmetically Flawed), Some Atari Cartridges (I gave them a pass on the ones that didn’t work properly due to these cartridges being over 40 years old) surprisingly, another paddle controller, two PSPs, and two UMDs.  In addition, I got a GBA Cartridge and a PlayStation 2 8MB memory card, but that’s it.

Now, as for alternatives for DKOldies, this essay will explain four of them.  The first and obvious choice is eBay.  That site allows users to sell items or auction them. They can use photos of the items they’re selling, in addition, they can state the condition of the item whether it’s working or not (for electronics at least), so you should keep this in mind unless you want to fix the item in case if it’s not working.  However, I should point out that DKOldies did have an eBay store, so avoid them at all costs.  In other words, eBay is your safest choice for getting old tech and retro games.

Next, there is Retrospekt, which does sell refurbished items.  Retrospekt sells refurbished vintage items like Game Boys, VCRs, Film Cameras, and Polaroid Cameras (which is where I first heard about Retrospekt). In addition, they also sell custom-made items made of vintage internals. That’s where the Pepsi Polaroid 600 came from as seen in both The Mud and Friends episode One Shot Instaroid and Episode 14 of VintageTech.  Therefore, Retrospekt stays true to its name of actually refurbishing items compared to DKOldies.

If you prefer to do actual shopping rather than online shopping, we have Goodwill.  Now the best Goodwill store depends on your preference. Some are awesome, others not so much. Of course, if you’re collecting retro games and vintage electronics (besides DVDs and VideoCassettes), I recommend you shop at a Goodwill that has a section called “The Grid” like the one in Rockingham.  In addition, there are also The Grid stores across the country.  In other words, Goodwill is good compared to DKOldies’ Badwill.

Finally, I never knew about this online store until recently, we have Gameroom.  This one is like DKOldies, but better, they not only sell games but also DVDs and Monitors.  In addition, they sell not only the Atari 2600 but also the other systems Atari has produced.  They also sell Next-Gen gaming systems, as I saw an Xbox Series S and X for sale. Now, I never bought anything from that site yet, but by the time the season 2 premiere of VintageTech begins production, you know where my source will be alongside eBay.  In the end, DKOldies is dead to me, I prefer eBay, Retrospekt, Goodwill, and Gameroom as my go-to places for buying retro gaming stuff and old tech in general.  

If you’re currently following DKOldies on any social media site, please unfollow them as best as you can.

[rectwizard]

Doing a review on Retro Retailer DKoldies and the controversy behind them

Clips on Tiktok

Full video on YouTube

[biancarogers]

Arcade Games On The Dreamcast?! #retrogaming #dkoldies 🕹️🥊🎮 https://applevideos.co.uk/apple-arcade/arcade-games-on-the-dreamcast-retrogaming-dkoldies

[dappledpaintbrush]

I participated in a whole ass bidding war for super mario 3 and I get the damn cartridge and it doesn’t work. I’m killing someone.

[momett]

just remembered when the CEO of dkoldies posted a tiktok of himself destroying a "bootleg" GBA that was actually an incredibly rare iQue GBA made for Chinese markets.

[awilddomino]

That's so based of you DKoldies

[moghedien]

that guy standing in the corner at a party meme but its me wanting to talk about the dkoldies scandals the past few weeks

[weaseltotheface]

Love stumbling across a video about some huge drama and getting really into it lmao

The retro consoles community is heated af over a company called dkoldies for selling consoles as refurbished for a huge markup but they don't actually refurbish or even clean them

I'm just clicking on all these videos like fuck yeah tell me more, rip these fuckers apart

[nosetoons]

don't ever buy no 85 dollar game from dkoldies bro

[gaykarstaagforever]

DKOldies is a retro video game store an hour and a half south of me. They employ like 10 people. Of course they're not doing large-scale refurbishments. It's owned by this one family that inexplicably hasn't been sued by Nintendo for using the DK logo.

I didn't realize it was the one in Morgantown. I don't know what shenanigans they are up to but there is no way that is some huge factory-style operation. They are in a strip mall between a liquor store and a party supply rental place.

[bearpillowmonster]

I've been looking for Sly 1 on PS2 for a while now but haven't found a reasonably priced one, they all seem gouged to me, I mean even 20$ seems like a lot for a PS2 game. I've gone to the game stores in my vicinity (within a few towns (30 min), not just my own) and no luck. I might've even be willing to spend a little more just to have it in my hands to inspect and take it instantly but online seemed like my best bet so I check ebay, Mercari, DKOldies, even my hated Amazon. Out of stock except Merc and Ebay. I'm a little picky so I wanted one with a case and original cover (I like both but the original is just so classic) but other than artistic reasons, this pushed me to start to look for covers from now on and something better than "fair".

Shipping is 5$ no matter where but the cheapest between the two sites was around 17$ from New Jersey free ship. That's not totally bad from what I've seen, had the right cover, right disc. Wait, no manual? I was put off but I went back to my Sly 2 copy and really the manuals look the same I could just switch them out if I felt. I went back to the listing, "Good" condition but they took a picture and-

That don't look "Good", scared me off, back to square one.

It's not available on the PS storefront. I don't have a PS3 for the HD collection and I would consider a PSVita or PSTV but those are rare and price gouged as well! It's just ridiculous the hoops I have to jump through to buy a game halfway legit, especially an old game that's no longer worth all that and it hits me all the time.

I can't even emulate because there's a whole process with dumping your BIOS and I don't want that, I have a PS2, I can use it-

[shadowcooperx1]

A DKOldies Employee Messaged Me, Here’s What They Said…

[michaeldagaymerx]

Some games I ordered as a treat for myself for my birthday back in September for the Super Nintendo. I got some from DKOldies and some from Lukie Games. I’m officially a retro collector now. Whooooo!! 🕹️🎮🥳